There once was a Yogi who honestly meditated with as much devotion as he could. He meditated and did yoga in order to to gain spiritual powers. He dedicated himself to living a simple life of spirituality. He never ate much and he held his yoga postures for a very long time. He tried to control his mind and he would sit alone and chant to himself, “Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya...” All he wanted was to experience the One in Everyone. Once he heard someone speak of a great Guru: “The great Baba Nanak has taught others who carry the very same light as he did. The third Guru, Guru Amar Das now sits on Nanak’s throne. He is just like Guru Nanak. He is a spiritual Papa to everyone. He gives food to everyone who is hungry. He respects and honors women and has even appointed many women as teachers. He doesn’t care for anyone who claims authority or power over others. He gives different teachings than anyone else! He says that we shouldn’t go away from the world and live in a cave. He says we should live a family life and still live spiritually. His very presence is profound, he must truly be One with the Almighty.”

This Yogi would hear these things, he would see how divine people’s faces looked when they talked about the Guru. Now, this yogi had been searching for God for a long time. He had heard many teachings of many different kinds. He had meditated and felt many things in his heart. In his intuition he trusted that this Guru Amar Das was a divine teacher. He felt that the Guru ji was merged with God. The Yogi was getting very old and his life on this earth was coming to an end. He longed to be with the Guru. He wanted to know this new way of spiritual living in the world.

One day the Yogi decided to go see Guru Amar Das. After showing great respect to the Guru he said, “O Guru, ever since I heard about you, I have longed to see you. Today I am blessed to have my longing fulfilled. I have eaten little and done a lot of yoga, yet still I have not found peace. I wish to have peace of mind and I want to know that when I leave my body I will be reborn into your family.”

Guru ji said, “Happiness and peace are not found by not eating and trying to be the best yogi, but by loving God and singing His praises. You shall be reborn into my family. You shall be my grandson.” The Yogi then went to the side of the river Beas, where it was peaceful and fbeautiful. He made one last prayer to God and left his body.

The Guru’s younger son’s name was Mohri. In time Mohri’s wife gave birth to a baby boy. The baby, the grandson of the Guru, was the soul of the Yogi! Without delay, the Guru sent one of his most beloved Sikhs, saying “Bring me this baby.” When the Sikh arrived with the baby, Guru Amar Das ji gently held the baby in his lap. He said, “His name will be Anand” Anand means ‘Bliss.’ The Guru began to sing a new song: “Oh, my mother Anand has come, now I’m with the True Guru. I’ve easily met the True Guru, my mind dances in happiness. The clear music plays a tune, like angels singing the shabd. If our minds rest in the One, we sing the song of Hari....” He kept singing this beautiful song. He sang the whole Anand Sahib for the very first time.

It was a most beautiful poem, it was so pleasant to hear, it had great wisdom and teachings from God, it changed everyone’s mood. A Sikh climbed to the rooftop and sang the ‘Anand Sahib’ to the entire village so everyone could hear it. This Anand Sahib, was created in honor of the Yogi who wanted with all his heart to be in the Guru’s family. It tells us how to live life full of joy. How do you feel when you listen to or sing Anand Sahib?